NFL Week 7 Injury Report

We’re going to take a look at each game from this week in the NFL Week 6 Injury Report. All information from NFL.com.

Teams on bye in Week 7: Detroit Lions, Houston Texans

NFL Week 7 Injury Report – Early Games:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Buffalo Bills:

Buccaneers

Jameis Winston (Q) injured his right shoulder in Week 6 and is currently dealing with an AC joint sprain. The Bucs limited Winston’s throwing this week in order to get him ready for Sunday’s match up with the Bills. Fortunately, Winston’s injury is minor on the spectrum of AC joint injuries, and the typical recovery for his injury is 1-2 weeks. Now, the Bucs have already come out and stated that Winston will start on Sunday, but I’d expect them to lean a bit more heavily on the run game. Watch for the Bucs to possibly utilize quick passes to get the ball out of Winston’s hands in an effort to reduce the number of hits he has to take.

Bills:

Jordan Matthews (Q) appears to be on track to return to from a thumb injury sustained in Week 4 after getting in limited practices early in the week and a full practice on Friday. The Bills are in desperate need of pass catchers after they also lost Charles Clay a few weeks ago. Even in a plus matchup against the Bucs’ secondary, Matthews is hard to trust in his first game back.

Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears

Panthers

Kelvin Benjamin (Q) appears to be on track to play in Week 7 after getting in a full practice on Friday. He’s been dealing with some left knee swelling and soreness, which caused him to sit out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Important to note, this is the same knee Benjamin injured a few weeks ago, so this does raise some concern for me. I’ll be watching Benjamin closely on Sunday to see if he’s favoring it at all.

Tennessee Titans vs. Cleveland Browns

Titans

Demarco Murray (Q) has been dealing with a hamstring injury for the past few weeks, and he did not look like himself in Week 6. As we’ve seen before, hamstring injuries can linger throughout the year, and they’re one of the highest recurring injuries in the NFL. Muscle strains require a complete and full rehab, which is nearly impossible if the player continues to play through the injury. As a result, Murray’s name will likely pop up on the Titans’ injury report multiple times throughout the season. As for this week, Murray is likely to be a game-time decision.

Marcus Mariota was removed from the Titans injury report after escaping Week 6 without a setback to his hamstring injury. The Titans were conservative with their franchise QB in Week 6, as he stayed in the pocket the entire game. I still expect the Titans to take this approach in order to avoid aggravating the hammy.

Corey Davis (O) will not play in Week 7 as he is also dealing with a hamstring injury of his own.

New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers

Saints

Willie Snead (Q) played in just about a quarter of the Saints’ snaps in Week 6 in his season debut and remained limited in practice all week. He is likely to suit up again in Week 7, but I expect him to be on a snap count once again, making him a difficult player to trust this week.

Packers

Aaron Rodgers (IR) will miss at least 8 weeks after having surgery to stabilize a fractured collarbone, or clavicle, in Week 7. Brett Hundley will be under center for the Pack until Rodgers returns. At the earliest, Rodgers will be eligible to return during the fantasy playoffs, but it’s no guarantee. This is an obvious downgrade for all the pass catchers in Green Bay.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts

Jaguars

Leonard Fournette (Q) exited in Week 6 with a scary knee and ankle injury. He planted to cut and went down in a non-contact fashion as his knee appeared to hyperextend. Fortunately, he avoided any structural damage, and the Jags came out and stated that Fournette could have gone back into the game if they needed him. He didn’t practice all week, so his status on Sunday morning is certainly worth monitoring. If Fournette sits, Chris Ivory becomes an interesting play.

Marqise Lee (Q) popped up on the injury report with a knee injury, causing him to miss practice on both Wednesday and Thursday. He did get in a limited session on Friday, so he has a shot to suit up in Week 7. In recent weeks, Lee has been dealing with a rib injury and seems to be frequently battling through his injuries this year. However, he hasn’t missed a game since Week 1. He appears to be a game-time call on Sunday.

Colts

Andrew Luck (O) was finally back to practicing, but he appears to have suffered a setback in his recovery from off-season shoulder surgery. Given that the Colts have been ultra-conservative with their franchise player, it’s likely for them to keep him out for the entire year.

Robert Turbin (IR) dislocated his elbow in Week 6 and has been placed on injured reserve. You likely weren’t starting Turbin, but this opens the door for Marlon Mack to get more carries alongside Frank Gore. Mack has clearly been the Colts’ most explosive back, but they’ve been inconsistent with his usage. Week 7 should give us more insight as to Mack’s value for the rest of the season.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams

Cardinals

Andre Ellington (Q) is currently dealing with an injury to his quadriceps and is likely to be a game-time decision after missing practice multiple days this week. If he sits, Adrian Peterson should be a 3-down workhorse after his explosion in Week 6.

New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins

Jets

Bilal Powell appears to be on track to make his return from a calf injury that caused him to miss Week 6 after getting in a full practice on Friday. The Jets are currently employing a three-man backfield with Matt Forte and Eli McGuire also getting touches. For me, I’m staying away from any Jets running back, as their usage is too unclear to trust.

Dolphins

DeVante Parker (D) is likely to miss Week 7 as he continues to rehab his ankle injury sustained in Week 5. He didn’t practice all week, so it’s unclear how close he is to returning. His name will be on this list next week as well.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Minnesota Vikings

Ravens

Jeremy Maclin (Q) sat out in Week 6 with a shoulder injury and could also miss Week 7. He got in limited practices all week, but his game status is up in the air. His name is worth watching when the inactives are released on Sunday morning.

Mike Wallace (Q) is currently dealing with a back injury after taking a helmet to the back last week. He is likely to be a game-time call, but with Jeremy Maclin (Q), Breshad Perriman (O), Ben Watson (Q), Maxx Williams (O), Chris Matthews (D), and Terrance West (O) all dealing with injuries of their own, the Ravens are desperate for playmakers. He could suit up, even at less than 100%.

Vikings

Stefon Diggs (O) will miss his second straight week while rehabbing a groin injury from Week 5. With Diggs out, former 1st round pick, Laquan Treadwell, should see more opportunity to build on his 3 for 51 stat line from last week.

Sam Bradford (O) will sit out yet again after re-aggravating his left knee in his return to the field in Week 5. Bradford’s rest of season outlook remains unclear. For now, Case Keenum will be under center, but it’s possible Teddy Bridgewater returns at some point later this season. The Vikings have some serious decisions to make regarding their quarterback position.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Broncos

Emmanuel Sanders (O) will miss Week 7 with a sprained right ankle. Fortunately, he appears to have avoided any structural damage as imaging on the ankle came back clean. He never had a shot to play in Week 7, but we’ll see what happens in practice next week. He could miss multiple weeks, so expect to see his name on this list again in Week 8. With Sanders out, Bennie Fowler should have an opportunity to contribute in Week 7.

Demaryius Thomas also got banged up in Week 6 with an ankle injury of his own but returned to finish the game, albeit in a limited fashion as he was limped after almost every play. He was limited in practice early in the week but returned to a full practice on Friday and will start in Week 7.

Chargers

Keenan Allen (Q) popped up on the injury report on Thursday after falling on his shoulder in practice. He then sat out of practice on Friday, so his status for Sunday is up in the air. His name should be on your radar when the inactives are released an hour and a half before kickoff.

Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Giants

Seahawks

C.J. Prosise (Q) appears to be on track to return in Week 7 with an ankle injury after getting in full practices late in the week. He should step back into his pass-catching role on 3rd downs.

Giants

Sterling Shepard (Q) got in limited practices all week after injuring sitting out week 6 with a left ankle injury. Reports indicate that he is likely to suit up as Eli’s de facto #1 wideout after the Giants lost Odell Beckham and Brandon Marshall for the season.

Atlanta Falcons vs. New England Patriots

Falcons

Mohamed Sanu will make his return in Week 7 after injuring his hamstring in Week 4. He’ll slide back into his #2 role in the passing offense behind Julio Jones in a favorable matchup against a porous Patriots secondary.

Patriots

Rex Burkhead should make his return to the field after missing the past month with a rib injury. He was upgraded to full on Friday, so he should be good to go. However, his role in the offense is unclear given the emergence of Dion Lewis in recent weeks.

Chris Hogan was limited early in the week with a rib injury but was upgraded to full on Friday. He will be out there on Sunday.

Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Redskins

Rob Kelley appears to be on track to make his return after injuring his ankle in Week 5. Kelley has been banged up all year with ankle and rib injuries, but Samaje Perine has been unimpressive while filling in for Kelley. Kelley will be the early down back whenever he returns with Chris Thompson keeping his 3rd down role.

Eagles

Wendell Smallwood has missed the last two weeks with swelling and soreness in his knee but appears to be on track to return on Monday night as he is practicing in full for this week. With LeGarrette Blount looking pretty good on early downs, Smallwood should resume his role as the primarypass-catchingg option out of the backfield.

I'm a sports and orthopedic physical therapist currently working in Burlington, VT. I've been a sports fan my entire life and when I became a PT, I decided to combine my two passions into one awesome hobby. My goal is to provide injury analysis and information so that you can win your next dynasty title. Follow me on twitter: @TheFantasyPT